


you'll be mine, and i'll be yours (makorin week 2015)

by nishanightray



Category: Free!
Genre: AU, Established Relationship, Fluff, Japanese Mythology - Freeform, Light Angst, Love Confessions, M/M, Multiple One-Shots, New Year's Fluff, Post-Eternal Summer, Volleyball AU, different sport au, hints of nagigou, i'll add tags as this goes on, mostly headcanons, souharu might appear too
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-14
Updated: 2015-12-20
Packaged: 2018-05-06 16:20:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5423756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nishanightray/pseuds/nishanightray
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>title of the fic comes from the song 'everything's changed' by taylor swift & ed sheeran</p><p>1. Home // And there he was, tall and nervous and so cute, looking around and over the crowd to spot Rin at the Arrivals.</p><p>2. Mythical // “You’re not human,” he breathed. Makoto blinked, then scratched his cheek, nervously. “Uhm, no,” he admitted, “I’m actually not?”</p><p>3. Confession // Makoto bit his lip – he knew at this point that Haruka would not let it go, or he wouldn’t have insisted after the first statement – and took a deep breathe. “I confessed to him,” he said in a tight voice.</p><p>4. Fears // Makoto seemed awfully calm, but Rin knew he was restless even if he never looked at the sea.</p><p>5. Different Sport // The ball hit the palm of his hand quite precisely and it made a loud sound when it was slapped and smacked on the other side of the court. It had been quite a good hit, but Rin still wasn’t as satisfied as he’d liked (...).</p><p>6. Au // “You can’t just go and punch someone because you think… Oh my god, Makoto-senpai, you’re bleeding!”</p><p>7. New Years // “Goodnight, then, and happy New Years.” He chuckled and Rin felt a smile growing on his own face in response as he muttered a happy ‘yeah’.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Home.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And there he was, tall and nervous and so cute, looking around and over the crowd to spot Rin at the Arrivals.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> set after Eternal Summer.

There had been a time when Rin didn’t feel like coming home.

He was only a child then, and his house suddenly looked too big and empty now that only three people were living into it – or maybe two people, two little children, because their mother almost wasn’t there. Rin still remembered how  his father wouldn’t come home after work - _he wouldn’t anymore_ – and his mother wouldn’t feel like eating, cooking, or moving at all. He remembered coming home and not finding a meal for lunch after school, nor anyone who’d listen to his stories about what happened at school. He’d lost count of how many times he kept his words inside, prepared something for Gou and himself and then checked on his mother. Her grief seemed endless, but luckily for them it wasn’t, and she recovered after a while; by then, though, Rin had already stopped associating their house with the feeling of ‘home’.

Rin knew his mother probably went out of her way to cook dinner that night since she sounded excited on the phone, when he called to tell them he was coming home for summer break. She was trying her best to get back the years she lost with him, and it wasn’t like Rin didn’t appreciate that. He remembered feeling sadness as a child, never anger nor hate towards her. He had even less reasons to hate her now. But still, he called and told Gou he would arrive late, because he had something to do first.

Gou didn’t ask. She probably already knew, and Rin could almost see her smile when she told him to at least go back by half past nine. She had always been sharp about feelings and such, even when they weren’t very obvious, as Rin’d have liked to think (they were, though. Rin hated to acknowledge this, but he’s sure all of his friends had picked up already).

 

On second thoughts, it shouldn’t have come as a surprise to Rin that when he thought of ‘home’, the first thing that came to his mind wasn’t his house. It wasn’t any place, really. Instead, he thought of soft, warm green eyes, and an equally warm smile. It had always been like that: Makoto would always welcome him. Even back then, when Rin started going to Iwatobi in his hasty attempt to follow his father’s steps, Makoto had been the first to befriend him. Sure, Rin was more amazed by Haruka’s talent, when it came to swimming, but Haruka was always kind of distant and cold to him, at least before the relay happened; Makoto, on the contrary, had always been kind and warm to him, making him feel at ease. Makoto made him feel like he was _wanted._

 

During the flight, Rin couldn’t help checking his phone for new messages. He was almost shivering with nervousness and excitement. He wondered if Makoto’d already arrived at the airport; Rin hoped so, because he wished he could touch him from the moment he’d heard his voice on the phone, when he’d called to tell him he was coming back – Makoto’s voice had sounded so happy that Rin’d felt warmth spreading through his whole body, his ears red and burning feverishly.

When the plane landed, Rin left quickly his seat, ready to sprint through people rushing to pick up their suitcases (thanks god he’d brought only a hand luggage and a backpack).

Rin wrote a new message, hit send and waited for about five seconds - Makoto’s answer came almost at once: he was already there, waiting for Rin.

Rin bit his lip, wondering lightly on when had he become such a sap. Probably Makoto rubbed off on him. Rin rushed through the airport as fast as he could while dragging his luggage, and followed the signs to Arrivals until he could actually see the crossing with his own eyes. 

And there he was, tall and nervous and _so cute_ , looking around and over the crowd to spot Rin at the Arrivals.

When their eyes met, Makoto waved at him, shouted his name. He had the brightest, happiest smile Rin had ever seen blooming on a face, and Rin himself  couldn’t fight the grin that made his way on his face, all teeth bared.

Finally, he picked up his pace, reaching for Makoto. Makoto’s arms opened for him – _didn’t they always?_ – and let him literally sink into a hug; Rin pressed his head into Makoto’s shoulder, breathed against his neck, taking in the smell of his skin. Makoto held him tight and safe and it felt _right_ – it was definitely the best homecoming feeling, after all.

 

 

 

(“Do you think they actually remember we’re here, too?” Sousuke snorted, trying not to glance much at his friends making a show of themselves right at the middle of the Arrivals. Haruka shook his head and leaned against his boyfriend.

“Probably not,” he said, smiling a little.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i've this headcanon according to which Rin's mother actually fell in a some sort of depression after her husband's death, during which she wasn't able to take care of her children and was mostly absent in a psychological sense; this happened more or less when Rin was still in Sano elementary school.  
> also, i couldn't resist putting Sousuke and Haruka in there too, haha (Makoto and Rin will remember, probably. eventually).


	2. Mythical.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You’re not human,” he breathed. Makoto blinked, then scratched his cheek, nervously.  
> “Uhm, no,” he admitted, “I’m actually not?”

Rin didn’t know what to do since he’d lost his friend – or, really, Sousuke just _had_ to go and get fucking lost on his own. Honestly, that guy’s sense of directions was horrible, even though he insisted on denying it.

That time, though, it seemed quite different: Sousuke had actually glanced down, made a face as if he’d seen something, and then went off, disappearing into the depths of the forest before Rin could even understand what was going on.

Rin was kind of pissed, and maybe a little worried, too. He could only imagine what Gou would say to him if he dared return home without Sousuke – they were all a family, after all, on the Kurama Mountain. He dropped by a few meters, his black wings fluttering behind his back, and flew a little towards the east area, scanning his surrounding in attempt to find Sousuke.

It was pointless. The leaves and the branches were too thick and made the research too difficult. At that point, Rin knew he had to get down and go on by feet, but he didn’t like the idea at all. Flying was a part of his nature as a _tengu_ [1], and the sky was like a protection for him. Landing meant giving up on that protection, making him an easy target for enemies – most of all, the humans, who used to set up stupid traps for animals. Once, when he was a child, he’d escaped from the mountain, curious about exploring the human world, but he ended up falling in one of those traps; he didn’t quite remember all the details, but remembered all too well the fear and the pain of having his wings bound in a net.

Rin flew in circles for a bit more before finally spotting a small clearing between the trees where he could land. He descended slowly, glancing around suspiciously, and didn’t touch the ground with his feet at one; he stood there, his wings still fluttering and his feet hovering on the ground. If he went too deep into the forest, his chances of escaping by flying off would go down dramatically.

He sighed as he finally let his feet touch the grass.

As soon as he landed, though, he heard a branch breaking, and a soft gasp coming from somewhere behind his back. His wings opened again by instinct he was ready to take off, when someone’s voice said, “W-wait! I don’t want to hurt you!”

Rin’s head snapped to the side to glance at the stranger who came out of the bushes.

The man was tall, well-built, and had short brown hair. He looked human, but harmless – he had his hands raised in sight and didn’t have any weapon with him. Rin still didn’t let his guard down, though, as he turned around to study him properly. When their eyes met, a flicker of surprise passed through the stranger’s features.

“You…” he said, then stopped as though he was sure about what to say next. He seemed to know him somehow, and Rin himself thought that the brunet _did_ indeed look familiar, but he couldn’t quite point out where he’d seen him before – since he didn’t have any wings, it was highly unlikely that he was someone from the Kurama Mountain. How else would he know him? That didn’t make any sense, unless…

Understanding dawned on him as soon as he stared more into the stranger’s eyes – they were of a bright green, the same color of the grass and the leaves, and gentle, and Rin knew at once he’d seen them before. He suddenly remembered the day he’d ended up trapped in the net, steps on the grass e little, sweaty hands working on the net to unravel the knots to free him, a kind voice telling him he’d be okay in no time… and then those eyes. As soon as he recognized those eyes, Rin knew that he’d met that guy before.

“You helped me,” he said before thinking better of it. The brunet nodded slowly, and Rin added, this time more confidently, “You saved me! When I was a child, and got tangled up—”

“Yeah,” the brunet interrupted him, laughing softly. “So, uhm… I won’t hurt you. Can I put my hands down?”

Rin nodded and the other seemed to relax.

“I knew it was you since I saw your eyes,” he said. “I mean, that color is rare even for a _tengu_. It kinda reminds me of the sunset.”

Rin tried not to blush at that, wondering how he could say something that embarrassing without even blinking. He also noted that the brunet didn’t seem guarded at all.

“You aren’t… scared,” Rin said, and that was not a question.

“Well, no,” the other said. “It’s not so rare to see a _tengu_ over here, especially nowadays.” He laughed a bit, and something in the way he’d phrased it made Rin snap.

“Did you happen to see any other tengu?!” His sudden outburst made the other jump. Rin scratched the back of his head and added, more calmly, “Er, sorry about that. I’m looking for my best friend, who got stupidly lost, and… Uhm, perhaps you saw him? Blue eyes, tall, looks always grumpy…”

“ _Grumpy_? I guess so,” the brunet chuckled. “Yeah. I’ve seen him just a little while ago. I can bring you to him, if you want. It’s not that far from here, actually.”

“Ah, thanks! That’d be nice,” Rin said, relieved. “Hey, I’m Rin by the way.”

“I’m Makoto.” The brunet smiled as he stepped in front of him and extended his hand to him in a friendly gesture. Rin took it and, the moment they touched, he felt a weird, but not unpleasant, wave of energy and warmth flow through his body, expanding from his head to his toe.

Rin stared once more into Makoto’s eyes and immediately knew the truth he couldn’t see before.

“You’re not _human_ ,” he breathed. Makoto blinked, then scratched his cheek, nervously.

“Uhm, no,” he admitted, “I’m actually not?”

“So what… uh…” Rin hesitated. It felt kind of rude to ask someone what he was. Makoto just shrugged it off, although he still looked a bit nervous.

“I’m sort of a _yama-no-kami_ [2]… Oh, a minor god, of course, it’s not like I’m powerful or something” he said, his cheeks flushing as he quickly corrected himself.

“Uh, so maybe I should make you some offer to thank you,” Rin frowned.

“No, no, no need at all! As I said, I’m just a minor god. Now, shall we go to where your friend is?”

Rin nodded, still unconvinced, and followed Makoto as he made their way through the forest.

Makoto apparently resembled a real human, but Rin could somehow feel his divine power around him, even if only lightly. Soon, he also discovered that flowers seemed to grow whenever Makoto’s feet touched the ground; they came up so easily, pretty and colorful and various, as though Makoto’s nature itself had been a call too sweet for them to ignore. Sometimes they would just raise up from the grass, while others eventually started to reach for Makoto, climbing over his ankles, but giving up easily as he whispered to them to be good. Rin tried not to look too stunned by the fact that Makoto talked to flowers, and flowers actually _understood_ him.

As Makoto passed beside a particularly beautiful and green cedar tree, a loud noise of laughter resounded in the air, clear and high like chimes; it was so sudden Rin jumped, and Makoto laughed softly.

“Ren, Ran, don’t do that, come out,” Makoto called, apparently talking to nobody in particular, but then two children literally came out of the trunk of the tree. They resembled each other very much and had both brown hair and small bodies, but one of them had more masculine features and brown eyes, while the other child looked much more feminine and had dark olive-green eyes. Makoto addressed them as ‘Ren’ and ‘Ran’ and jokingly called them his younger brother and sister.

“They’re actually _kodama_ [3],” he explained to Rin in a whisper, then turned to them. “Do you know if Haru’s still here?”

Ran, the _kodama_ who looked more like a girl, waved her long hair and gave another high-pitched laugh as she giggled.

“Haru-niichan is at this part of the river,” she said, “with his friend, again~”

“That sure seems fun~” Ren added playfully.

“Alright, then we’ll go there,” Makoto said, smiling amusedly. Rin couldn’t help but wonder about what (or who) they were talking about, but it didn’t seem important as Makoto turned to him and asked, “Shall we continue? We’re very close.”

“Right, Makoto, lead the way,” Rin said, and Makoto nodded. Ren and Ran made a fuss when Makoto told them he couldn’t play with them right then, but were more than happy when he told them he’d do that later and that he’d bring ‘Haruka’ too (Rin still didn’t know who was that).

When the young spirits returned into their tree, Rin looked at Makoto.

“The forest sure loves you, huh,” he said, and grinned when Makoto blushed a bit. Rin could see why someone would love Makoto – even without knowing much about him, everyone could tell he had a kind nature. Rin also thought he was, well, beautiful (how do you even flirt with a mountain god? _…wait, did he just really think that?_ ).

The trees soon started to thin out as they proceeded, until Rin could easily see the river bank. He was about to ask Makoto if they reached the right place when he spotted a pair of black, indented wings he would always recognize – Sousuke’s right wing had been damaged since they were children as he’d been hit by a thunder which had almost hindered his chances of flying, but luckily hadn’t. Rin felt relief wash over him as he saw his best friend safely sitting on the river bank, then the initial joy was replaced by surprise and shock.

Sousuke was talking to someone who seemed to emerge from the water, and he was _blushing_. Rin instinctively flew over him and stared stunned at the guy who was with Sousuke: he was naked up to his waist, had short blue hair and azure eyes that made Rin think of rivers, oceans and seas.

“What the fuck, Sou?” he said before he could stop himself. Sousuke jumped and a flicker of guilt and embarrassment appeared in his eyes, before his face settled on his usual calm, bored-looking expression. Rin snorted and lightly kicked him in the rear back.

“ ‘ _We should spend more time together_ ’, my ass! You’re just here to flirt with… with… Right, who’s he, by the way?” Rin looked at the guy who was still in the water. Even though his face looked emotionless, Rin thought he could see contrariety and at the same time curiosity in the look he was giving him.

“Rin, Haruka’s an _Amabiko_ [4]. He’s my best friend,” Makoto said, stepping in right beside Sousuke and Rin. Rin remembered that name from before and felt a silly pang of jealousy for the fondness that appeared in Makoto’s expression, then he registered his words.

“Wait, do you mean he’s, like, _a mermaid_?” he said. Sousuke sighed, while Haruka rolled his eyes.

“Right,” he deadpanned, and let his long tail out of the water – his scales were azure-colored, just like his eyes, and shined brightly under the light of the sun. Rin stared in fascination until Haruka put his tail underwater again, slapping the surface of the river in the process and sprinkling water on both Sousuke and Rin.

“Thanks, Haruka,” Sousuke snorted, but Rin could see a hint of fondness in his eyes. Haruka smirked for a moment at his words, but apart from that he looked unperturbed.

Rin sighed and shook his head as he returned to Makoto’s side.

“It seems like our best friends are dating,” he said. Makoto laughed.

“Well, then I guess we’ll see each other more often,” he replied. Flowers were still growing all around him, clinging to him, and his green eyes sparkled as he smiled happily – yeah, Rin thought he could do with seeing him a whole lot more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] Tengu = a demon with human body and dark wings on his/her back. They usually live in clans on mountains.  
> [2] Yama-no-kami = a mountain god. There are two types of mountain gods, one who is worshipped by hunters, woodcutters, and charcoal burners; and one who’s worshipped by farmers as it’s a god of agriculture (Makoto’s the latter).   
> [3] Kodama = a spirit that lives in a tree.  
> [4]Amabiko = a male version of an Amabie, a legendary Japanese mermaid who can emerge to prophecy either an abundant harvest or an epidemic.


	3. Confession.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto bit his lip – he knew at this point that Haruka would not let it go, or he wouldn’t have insisted after the first statement – and took a deep breathe.  
> “I confessed to him,” he said in a tight voice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> slightly inspired by Confession Rehersal by Honeyworks

 

“Sousuke says that Rin’s upset with you.”

Makoto jumped at Haruka’s quiet voice. He should have expected that Rin’d tell Sousuke, and that Sousuke might tell Haruka, but somehow Makoto’d just ignored that possibility. He had too many things on his mind to even foresee that Haru’d confront him about that.

Haruka stood by the counter, holding the pan with one hand and a spatula with the other. When Makoto didn’t answer, only the sound of the oil fizzling filled the air. The smell of mackerel coming from the pan was unmistakable – well, it wasn’t like Haru’s tastes were a surprise to anyone. Makoto wondered lightly if Haru ever ate anything else in the days he was alone at home; the only chances of his diet varying, after all, were Sousuke or Makoto’s mother cooking, or the rare days when they managed to go out with their group of friends (and Sousuke’d insist on avoiding any place that did only seafood).

The silence lasted a little while more, then Haruka sighed.

“Did something happen?” he prompted, without turning. He put off the flame and moved to grab a plate and a pair of chopsticks. Makoto bit his lip – he knew at this point that Haruka would not let it go, or he wouldn’t have insisted after the first statement – and took a deep breathe.

“I confessed to him,” he said in a tight voice.

It seemed to take Haruka by surprise, because he let the mackerel slip a bit from the chopsticks – luckily, the plate was right under, so the food was saved. Haruka wouldn’t have forgiven that. When he finally turned around, Makoto didn’t meet his eyes: instead, he stared at the table, finding it incredibly interesting all of sudden.

“Well, okay,” Haruka said, slowly. He stayed silent for a moment, then added, “I still don’t see why Rin should be upset, though.”

Makoto didn’t see why, either. Glancing up for a second, he could see Haru frowning, as though he was confused.

“I told him I didn’t mean it. I didn’t want to scare him, I swear,” Makoto said. Haruka frowned even more.

“What do you mean?”

Makoto gulped, as he returned to staring at the table and at his own hands folded in front of him.

“Well, I told him on impulse. He didn’t answer, he just kept staring at me and then, then I… sort of panicked, you know, and told him I was just… _rehearsing_ it. To tell someone else.” Makoto scratched his cheek and laughed nervously, even though the memory made his stomach twist painfully. “I should have known he wouldn’t believe that, though. Now he’s mad at me, right?”

Haruka stared at him for a long moment, seemingly exasperated, then scoffed.

“Oh, no, he believed it alright,” he muttered under his breathe. He took up his plate and set it on the table, then took a sit in front of Makoto.

“You’re an idiot,” he deadpanned. “You’re both idiots.”

Makoto found himself wishing for a shovel to dig a hole and bury himself into it.

“Do you think he hates me now? Will he think I’m a freak? Oh my god, why did I have to say that,” he said, chewing his lower lip. He couldn’t exactly pinpoint the moment he developed this huge, embarrassing crush on Rin, he’d just realized it was there at some point (maybe it had always been there), but anyway he never intended to do something about it. At least, if he was ever going to tell Rin, it’d have to be planned carefully; that’s what he thought, so why did it have to happen like _that_? It had been _horrible_ , and had started like this.

He and Rin had decided to meet somewhere and arrange a shared training between their teams (as fellow captains and friends, it was something they did often and both enjoyed; plus, Makoto saw it as a chance to spend time together with Rin) and nothing had been out of the ordinary. Towards the end of the meeting, Makoto insisted on paying their coffees and Rin fought it as usual (but in the end surrendered and eventually promised to make it up to him). Rin was frowning and muttering about how Makoto’s kindness was sort of forceful, with his cheeks and nose and ears flushed, perhaps from the cold. Makoto could have easily brushed it off, as he usually did; instead, he’d confessed on the spur of the moment.

Makoto’s heart jumped in his throat as he remembered vividly Rin’s shocked expression, his eyes blown wide as he turned towards him…

“Makoto, stop _thinking_ ,” Haruka said, sharp, efficaciously pulling him out of his thoughts. Makoto glanced up at his best friend, who was looking at him in a very, _very_ serious way.

“Makoto,” he said, softly, “if you really think Rin could hate you, then you’re more of an idiot than he is. And he’s quite a bit.”

Makoto stared at him, not understanding. He’d already been called an idiot twice, huh. Perhaps he deserved it.

“Do you… think I should call him?” he asked, choked.

Haruka picked at his mackerel with the chopsticks, cut a piece and ate it slowly.

“Call him,” he said.

 

 

 

 

His stomach had closed up and he felt slightly nauseous. Rin hadn’t even arrived yet, but Makoto already felt like throwing up from nervousness.

In the end, he’d called Rin and asked to meet again, this time choosing the big staircase that went to the shrine. They’d met there a lot ever since they were kids; those moments still surfaced vividly in Makoto’s memory, and it seemed kind of nostalgic to be there again, now that they were in high school. He was so deep in his thoughts that he nearly didn’t hear Rin’s footsteps.

“Hey,” Rin said as he stopped in front of him. Makoto glanced up.

Rin had his hands in his pockets in what looked like a relaxed posture, but Makoto could tell he was tense; also, his cap visor casted a shadow on his eyes, so his expression was difficult to read. Makoto felt his heart jumping in his own throat again.

“You said you wanted to talk,” Rin said.

“Yeah,” Makoto replied, but then fell silent. He thought he’d prepared for that moment, after Haruka encouraged him to tell Rin the truth, but now that he was there with Rin, Makoto found that confessing again wasn’t any easier than the first time. He really did act on impulse, right then; now he was all tangled up in fears and insecurities, and couldn’t get his words to come out.

Finally, Rin sighed and sat on a lower step.

“Look, I don’t really get what’s going on, but it’s fine,” he said, scratching the back of his head. He looked tired. “I’m your friend, so you can tell me things, okay? Yesterday I was just… surprised, ‘cause you said that all of sudden... Give me at least some warning next time, geez. What’s with rehearsing, anyway…” he ended up muttering, and Makoto thought he could see him pouting, but then Rin gave a hint of a smile.

“You can, you know,” he said, quietly, “keep rehearsing with me, I mean. I’m really cheering for you, Makoto.” Even though he was smiling, he still sounded quite upset. Rin’d never been good at hiding his own feelings, Makoto thought. Not from him, anyway. And if he was already that upset, then probably it wouldn’t hurt to tell him the truth – Rin was right, they were friends, so Makoto had to be honest with him, at least.

“I like you,” he wanted to be more composed about it this time, but instead he just blurted it out. Rin glanced at him from under his cap, slightly surprised, and Makoto wanted to bury his face in his hands and die right there; he knew he was probably blushing madly.

“What, are we rehearsing already? I thought I told you to warn me…”

“No,” Makoto choked and looked down at the ground. He clenched his sweaty hands on his trousers. _Oh c’mon_ , he pleaded himself, _don’t stop now_.

“No, I mean, I like, _like_ you. I’m sorry I lied to you before. I wasn’t… it wasn’t… I _did_ mean it, I just panicked.” Makoto groaned, “ _God, I feel awful_ ,” and gave up on resisting burying his face in his hands. “Please don’t make me do this anymore, I don’t think my heart can…”

“I like you, too,” Rin said, interrupting him, and Makoto stopped in his own tracks.

Hesitantly, he opened his fingers a bit and glanced at Rin – what he saw took the last of breathe out him, because Rin actually had a giant smile on his face, his cheeks flushed.

“What,” Makoto said, blinking and letting his hands fall on his lap, because maybe he didn’t hear well. Rin blushed even more, and his ears color mixed with that of his hair.

“I was stunned, you know, yesterday. I’ve been crushing on you for almost two years, and then you said that out of the blue. I think I was dying inside, and then you just had to ruin it all,” Rin said, scoffing. Makoto just stared because – _huh_ , that did explain why Rin’d been upset with him.

“I’m sorry I acted like a coward,” Makoto said, softly. “I didn’t honestly think you were just surprised, I thought I had scared you or something, or that you’d hate me.”

Rin frowned.

“Why would you think that? You’re an idiot if you seriously think I could hate you.”

Perhaps Rin and Haruka resembled each other more than they’d like to know.

“I’m sorry,” Makoto said, and laughed softly. Rin snorted.

“Stop apologizing and kiss me instead,” he complained, while grabbing his arm and tipping his head up to reach for his lips. Makoto happily complied, indulging in his own desires as well, and pressed his mouth on Rin’s, avidly swallowing the sigh that escaped Rin’s throat. He reached slowly for Rin’s hand, lightly untangled it from the grasp it had on his arm, and interlaced their fingers together. When the kiss ended, Rin pushed his face into Makoto’s chest and held onto him tightly. Makoto chuckled.

“Rin, you’re so cute,” he couldn’t help saying it. Rin moved a bit to look at him, and Makoto noted he actually looked both offended and flattered.

“Hey, I’m supposed to look cool, not _cute_ ,” he muttered.

Makoto tangled his free hand in his hair, at the back of his head, and pushed him into a hug.

“It’s fine, you can be both,” he said, kissing his hair. Rin muttered something about sappiness, but didn’t show any sign he didn’t like it.

 

 

 


	4. Fears.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto seemed awfully calm, but Rin knew he was restless even if he never looked at the sea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> set after the first season of the anime, but before Eternal Summer.

_Makoto was on his knees by the riverbank; he was holding Haruka in his arms, shaking him with his hands, calling his name in a loud, choked voice, and pulling him more into his lap and chest, as though it would have been just fine to feel Haru skin to skin to know he was alive._

_But Makoto wasn’t going to be fine with just that._

_He was trembling so much it looked like he could shatter into a million pieces, and Rin found himself fearing the moment it would happen._

_Rin couldn’t move, nor talk; it was like the scene unfolding in front of him had turned his body into rock and dried his mouth._

I’m scared, _he thought, barely understanding what was going on. He stared down at Makoto, noting the glazed, cloudy veil that darkened his eyes, and he was scared._

 

 

 

The rain was falling lightly but rhythmically, pounding on the wooden roof under which they had taken shelf; it mixed with the sea where it hit the surface at a slight diagonal angle because of the wind, forming concentric circles that expanded until they disappeared in little, crispy waves. It had come unexpectedly, unforeseen by the weather forecast, and had totally ruined their projects of eating on the beach – the barbecue was totally ruined, the tablecloth Gou had brought was drenched and most of the plastic tableware had been blown away by the wind ( by the time they had managed to catch it all, it had become so worn-out it was useless, and they were all soaked wet).  The meat was more than rare as the flames choked before having the time to do their job, and only Haru’s mackerel conserved quite a decent look, rather it looked even better than it normally did (maybe because it had returned to its original water element).

Rin passed his fingers in his damp hair in an attempt to keep them from falling on his face. In the background, Gou, Nagisa and Rei were bickering about the weather, which soon escalated in Gou e Nagisa bickering about the right way to pronounce the girl’s name and Rei complaining about being ignored by both his equals in age, while Makoto was apparently trying to calm them down by suggesting to go somewhere else for lunch.

Makoto seemed awfully calm, but Rin knew he was restless even if he never looked at the sea. Or maybe it was precisely the fact that he stubbornly refused to look at the sea that gave away his nervousness – the more Makoto tried to hide it, the more it seemed obvious to Rin.

It wasn’t just the sea. It was the rain pouring down hard and deafening against the roof, it was the wind howling strongly on the beach, it was the black clouds suffocating the vast sky. The sea was not quiet and it probably reminded Makoto of the storm that drowned his friend, many years before. Rin could easily relate: his father was, quite literally, in the same boat. The water was dark and cold, and it scared Makoto. It didn’t scare Rin, though.

Rin glanced towards Haruka, who was sitting on a bench with a plate of pineapple mackerel on his lap. He looked unruffled as he continued eating, as if the storm was something distant and unrelated to him. Rin knew, though, that Haruka had noticed Makoto’s mood, too, even if he wouldn’t make any comment about it – his silence was his own way to be sensitive, and it didn’t mean he wasbpt watching over him, making sure he was okay.

When Haruka stopped eating and looked up, Rin turned to follow his gaze and noticed Makoto had given up on ignoring the storm around him.

Rin didn’t like the look on his face.

Makoto’s eyes, set on the sea that was growing rough as the rain gradually intensified, reminded him of the day Haruka nearly drowned in the river as a child. Rin thought it was definitely one of the most frightening day in his life and probably it was the same for Makoto.

Back then, Rin was shocked by the depth of Makoto’s fear. There was a bottomless darkness, a lurking shadow in Makoto’s eyes that had made Rin uneasy. He couldn’t quite explain why and that feeling was hard to describe even after all those years, but now Rin knew something he didn’t see as a child – that Makoto was never as calm as he looked, but instead would try to hide his weaknesses away. He wondered if he should have pushed the matter at that time, if he should have made Makoto talk about it; he had just shrugged it off, telling himself it wouldn’t have made a difference to know. But maybe it was because he didn’t want to know – because he was afraid of what he could have seen.

Rin didn’t fear the sea in which his father had died, nor the water in which Haruka nearly drowned, but he had been scared of Makoto who was scared of the death. He had been scared of how death could change the ones who were left behind, scared of the _pain_ it brought.

He thought about his mother, sitting on a chair while crying on a photograph of her husband, as well as Makoto who cried out Haruka’s name, as though the desperation in his voice would have been enough to bring him back from the death.

The noise on the roof grew unbearable.

By instinct, Rin moved to stand beside Makoto and grabbed his arm to get his attention. Makoto flinched, caught unprepared by his abruptness.

“C’mon, let’s pack it up, and then we can all go to eat ramen or whatever,” he said, faking annoyance, then grinned. “Or perhaps we could leave by ourselves and go somewhere more _private_ ” he added in a lower voice.

Makoto blinked at him, then his surprised expression turned into a smile.

“Okay,” he consented, laughing softly, even though he was probably too good to just abandon their friends like that. His eyes were bright and clean, now, twinkling with amusement. Rin let his hand slip along Makoto’s arm, dancing lightly on his wrist before interlacing his fingers with Makoto’s. When Makoto squeezed his hand, his grip was firm and warm: he wasn’t trembling, nor did he seem tense. Rin was glad he was back to normal.

“Rin-chan, Mako-chan, stop flirting and help us decide what to do!” Nagisa interjected tactlessly, then giggled when Rin turned to glare at him. Rei and Gou smiled widely, while Haruka rolled his eyes, but seemed a bit amused. Makoto let out a nervous laugh, blushing a little.

“Okay, let’s just go to eat ramen or something?” Makoto suggested, repeating almost the same words Rin’d said before.

Rin looked at him as if saying _really?,_ raising an eyebrow at him, and this time Makoto laughed heartily, a sound that made Rin feel unbelieavably relieved.

It seemed that their fears had gone to sleep and it was enough, for the moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the part in the beginning is a reference to the first high speed novel (chapter two). the part where Rin tells Makoto he is frightened for him and not for Haruka is one of my favorite in the first novel; Rin and Makoto's feeling are so deeply analysed, it's really interesting. even though i still like the anime, i'll always be sad about the fact that most of their characterization and interactions have been lessened.


	5. Different Sport.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ball hit the palm of his hand quite precisely and it made a loud sound when it was slapped and smacked on the other side of the court. It had been quite a good hit, but Rin still wasn’t as satisfied as he’d liked (...)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hesitated between baseball and volleyball, but in the end i chose the latter, so here's a volleyball au where they all go to the same school and play volleyball together, yay

The ball hit the palm of his hand quite precisely and it made a loud sound when it was slapped and smacked on the other side of the court. It had been quite a good hit, but Rin still wasn’t as satisfied as he’d liked – he was just beginning to play on the court again after having injured his knee and thus having to sit still for two weeks, so even if it was just practice he still felt impatient and wanted to give his all. As long as his feet touched the ground again after the jump, Rin turned towards his setter.

“Oi, Haru!” he complained. “It was _way_   too far from the net. That won’t do in a match, you know I like it to be closer to the net. Set another one to me.” He returned to his position, ready to run and jump again, but when he looked up he noticed that Haruka hadn’t moved at all, and was regarding him with a scrutinizing look.

“I’m not setting you a ball you’re going to miss” he said flatly and he sounded final, as if he had already decided so. But that wasn’t something he could just decide by himself.

“Hah?” Rin growled. “What the fuck, Haru?”

Haruka didn’t answer, ticking Rin off even more. Normally he wouldn’t have been that irritated, but right now he was nervous and angry (mostly at himself, but still) and wasn’t sure he could stand Haruka’s petty behavior. By instinct, Rin stepped forward, grabbed Haruka’s shirt and pulled him towards himself.

“Look at me when you’re talking, asshole” he hissed through his teeth. Haruka didn’t even flinch, even though he surely wasn’t happy about the sudden intrusion into his own personal space.

“You aren’t ready” he simply said, as if that would have explained everything, - but didn’t at all, and Rin was torn between wanting to hit himself or Haruka with a ball.

Rin was just about to speak again, demanding explanations of some sort, but Nagisa chose that exact moment to jump in: he eagerly putted himself in between the two of them, forcing Rin to let of of Haruka’s shirt and take half a step back.

“Alright, time out!” Nagisa said. “Rin-chan, you’re too tense. Haru-chan is just saying you shouldn’t overexert yourself.” He smiled at Haruka, who merely stared at the ground.

“I sure as hell didn’t hear him say _that_ ” Rin snorted.

“But I’m sure he means it!” Nagisa insisted.

“Rin-san, I believe you’re still recovering from your injury, so maybe you should take it easy” Rei said, fixing his glasses for like the fifth time in a hour.

“It was just a light sprain, for God’s sake” Rin said. “I’m already fine…” Their faces told him they didn’t believe him, and Rin even thought he’d seen Haruka stealing a glance at his knee.

A light clap of hands on the other side of the net grabbed their attention and everyone turned towards Makoto, who was standing on the other part of the court together with Sousuke, Momotarou and Nitori, because that day the teams had been sorted out that way.

“What’s the matter?” Makoto asked. He walked through the court, lifted the net a little, just enough to pass under it, and stood beside Nagisa, then looked at Haruka and Rin.

“Haru’s being a jerk” Rin said. Haruka rolled his eyes, while Nagisa laughed nervously and Rei shook his head. Makoto blinked, confused.

“Uhm, can you be more specific?” he said and, to Rin’s surprise, this time Haruka looked up and answered before he could.

“He’s being reckless, again” he said. “I’m not following his whims.”

“Reckless? Tell me something new” Sousuke said, with heavy sarcasm in his voice.

“I really don’t want to hear this coming from _you_ of all people” Rin said, glaring at his supposedly best friend, who had badly injured his shoulder in his second year. It had been a lot worse than Rin’s knee injury, and sometimes it still gave Sousuke some pains.

“We’re not talking about me” Sousuke said, shrugging it off. Rin wanted to reply but for those second time that afternoon he was anticipated – this time, though, it was Makoto.

“Okay, I don’t really get what happened between you guys, but you should take it slow. Rin, don’t force yourself more than necessary. Even though two weeks have already passed, there can always be a relapse, we don’t want to risk that” he said, putting a hand on Rin’s shoulder.

“Captain’s right, Rin-senpai! We need our vice-captain, so don’t injure yourself!” Momo said in his usual loud and cheery voice, and Nitori and Nagisa echoed him by saying something similar. But Rin wasn’t in the mood for any of this; the more they wasted time talking about it, the more he was getting frustrated.

“I’m already fine” Rin barked at Momo, making him squeal and hide behind Nitori.

“Rin…” Makoto said, frowning, edging to his captain’s voice, which usually was enough to make even Sousuke go still, but Rin was too annoyed to notice. He hated to be mothered, even if it was Makoto, who was his boyfriend other than his friend.

“You should be on my side” Rin snapped and, just as he finished saying it, he knew he’d been too loud. His voice was still echoing through the court. Everyone had gone silent, and Makoto let his hand fall from Rin’s shoulder.

“I am” he said, tried to smile but failed horribly. Rin quickly deflated as his anger and frustration suddenly dissipated into a gnawing sense of guilt. When he looked at Makoto, the other avoided his eyes. _Fucking fantastic._ He had hurt him.

Right in that moment, their coach Sasabe, their teacher advisor Amakata, and Gou, who was Rin’s little sister as well as the team’s manager, entered the gym with a lot of towels and bottles of water. When the coach saw that they weren’t playing, he immediately shouted at them, asking what was their problem, so Makoto had to reassure him, Then, he returned to his side of the court, giving instructions to his team and leaving Rin to be eaten alive by guilt.

 

 

 

“So, now _you_ are the jerk” Sousuke said, letting himself falling beside Rin on the ground and nudging his side. Rin slapped his hand away, even though he didn’t move much from his curled up posture.

“Thanks, I already know” he muttered. The rest of the practice had been just as horrible as it was at the start, both because he couldn’t spike like he wanted and because Makoto was still avoiding him as much as possible.

“I’ve got to apologize, right?” he said, glancing a little at Sousuke. His friend shrugged.

“Honestly, I think he’d forgive you right away. I still can’t believe that such a good natured person can exist. Talk to him after practice and apologize” he said, then let himself fall on the ground, putting his head against Haruka’s thigh.

“You’re heavy” Haruka muttered, but didn’t move, nor did he do anything to resist it. Sousuke scoffed and rolled his eyes, but he also remained where he was. Rin decided to ignore their flirty exchange – it was irritating, because he didn’t even know if they actually knew what they were doing.

He sighed. He knew that he had to talk to Makoto as soon as possible, before things could get worse. Sousuke thought Makoto was good natured, which was true, but not entirely. Even though Makoto was always gentle and seemingly honest, Rin’d known him long enough to say that Makoto had an annoying tendency to take all the blame on his shoulders, so Rin _had_ to make sure he hadn’t started to think it was all his fault or something. Makoto was also inclined to hide his emotions in an attempt to not trouble others, which usually made him feel even worse.

Coming to a decision, Rin stood up, took his bag and dragged himself towards the locker room, skirting around Sousuke and Haruka who were still huddled together on the ground.

 

 

 

Luckily, everyone seemed to get the mood between the two of them (“Are the captain and Rin-senpai okay?” Rin heard Momo ask while he was changing, and Sousuke said, “Yeah, _mommy_ and _daddy_ are just having a fight.” Rin reminded himself not to get him anything for Christmas), so they all made up some excuse and made a run for it as soon as they had the chance to. Even Haruka left, choosing to follow Sousuke, Nagisa and Rei on the way home; before leaving, though, he looked at Makoto, then at Rin, and the redhead knew he wanted him to fix it.  

As if Haru actually had to tell him that. Rin was the first who wanted to apologize as soon as possible, because guilt was eating him alive and he despised himself for hurting Makoto. It seemed unfair. It made him want to punch a wall.

When Makoto finally finished changing (he had been impossibly slow, maybe because he was deep in thought), he looked surprised at Rin, as if he wasn’t expecting that he would wait for him.

“I already locked the gym” Rin said. “Let’s go home.”

“Yeah” Makoto said, trying to smile. Rin wanted to tell him not to force himself, but couldn’t get the words out. They locked the changing room, too, and started walking home in silence. The streets were cold, already turning dark, and their breathe came out in white little clouds.

It was so quiet that the mood got heavier and heavier every minute; Rin knew he had to break the ice, but didn’t know well what to say. He was definitely overthinking this.

“Rin…” Unexpectedly, Makoto broke the silence first. When Rin looked up at him, he was met by sad, green eyes and he felt his heart throbbing.

“I’m always on your side” Makoto said. “You know, right?”

“Yeah, I know” Rin said, then went quiet. Makoto didn’t say more, so after a while Rin added, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that, it was childish.”  

Makoto hummed lightly as he took Rin’s hand in his own. Rin shivered; Makoto’s fingers were frozen, because it was very cold, but also because he was probably nervous (and Makoto’s temperature seemed to drop whenever he was nervous or anxious about something). Rin immediately let their joined hands into his jacket pocket, hoping to warm him up a little.

“Rin,” Makoto sighed, “I don’t want to hold you back. I get that you’re impatient and you want to play, and I want you to play, too. I want to play volleyball together with you.” He paused, and Rin noticed the tip of his nose and of his ears were flushed and that he was smiling a little. The smile soon dropped, though, as Makoto seemed to suddenly remember something.

“But I don’t want you to worsen your injury. I… at that time, when it happened, I saw you falling on the court and clutching your knee, and I felt a feeling of dread and terror as I noticed you couldn’t even _get up_.” Makoto’s voice became a soft, choked whisper. “I don’t want to feel that anymore, Rin. I don’t want to see you _hurt_. I felt so useless and guilty and—”

“It wasn’t your fault” Rin interrupted him, squeezing his hand.

“I could have prevented it, if only I had noticed how tired you were” Makoto said, stubbornly, as is lips curled into a small pout. “Also, we can’t just allow ourselves to get any more injury, Rin. We’re third years now, and this will be our last inter-high, I want to keep playing with you until the end, so be more careful and tell us when it hurts, okay?”

“Yeah, okay, I understand.”

“You should also apologize to the team tomorrow. They’re all worried, you know. I think Haru didn’t want to set to you because he thought you were forcing yourself” Makoto said. Rin looked surprised at that; he didn’t think Haru would have that kind of reason, but it admittedly made sense. He would have to apologize to him, too, as well as the rest of the team.

“Yes, captain” he said, and was rewarded with a bright, happy smile from Makoto. Rin was so relieved they’d made up that let his guard down for a while (he noticed he did a lot around Makoto, or maybe it was just that he didn’t have any real defense against him) and he started opening up to him before he thought better of it. Makoto listened carefully to his insecurities and problems, just nodding or humming sometimes to let him know he was listening, without judging; he also continued to hold hands with him during the walk. Makoto’s hands were starting to warm up and Rin paused to think about calloused, rough, yet not displeasing, those hands were; Makoto was the best at receiving after Nagisa and he worked hard to defend their backs when they played, and he had trained so much to get that good at the receiving part that he always had calluses, bruises or cuts onto his skin. Rin thought every scar only made him more beautiful and precious.

“You’ll soon get back in track” Makoto said as Rin’s pause lasted a little too much.

“I know you will. You’ve always been stronger that any of us, so I know you’ll find a way to get back up by yourself, but in the meanwhile you can count on us… _on me_. I just wanted you to know that” he then added in a soft voice. Rin exhaled a long, trembling breathe that immediately condensed into the cold air. He wasn't really used to count on others, but he could try at least. He squeezed Makoto’s hand.

“Alright” he whispered, “Alright.”

 

 

 

Rin spiked down as hard as he could, but the ball was still a little bit too far from the net, so he found himself out of balance. The ball managed to pass through Momo’s block, but was then splendidly received by Nagisa, who dived to get it and send it up again into the air. Rin cursed: he would have liked to take the last point, successfully winning the set, but he ended up spiking it right to the libero.

“Ai-chan, it’s all yours!” The said libero chirped, smiling widely after his splendid receive.

“D-don’t call me that!” Nitori had just enough time to complain before setting the ball to Sousuke, who jumped and spiked it with a loud slam. Sousuke had a lot of strength in both his arms and legs, and nobody could compare to him in power, so his spikes were always a pain in the ass to receive; regardless, Rei managed to get a one-touch out of it and Makoto received it without batting an eyelid, sending it towards Haruka. As the ball was flying to their setter, Rin had already started running up again.

“Oi, Haru, send it here again!” he shouted. Haru shot a look at him before glancing up again towards the ball; Rin could almost see the gears turning into his mind as he was making the final decision. “C’mon, Haru!” he urged him. He wanted that last hit, wanted to feel adrenaline flowing through his veins again, wanted to feel like an _ace_ again.

“Haru, send him another one!” Makoto’s voice came from the back, bright and clear, cutting through the court. He then laughed and added, “Closer to the net, this time!”

A few seconds later, Haruka set the ball and Rin grinned as he jumped and the ball came exactly in the place he wanted it. Without any second thought, putting away anything unnecessary, he flied, let his arm fall behind and then shooting up like a whip; as his palm came in contact with the ball, he managed to spike it diagonally across the court, blowing away Momo’s defense once again. This time, not even Nagisa could react fast enough and the ball slammed on the court, remaining inside the bounds, then everything went silent.

Gou’s whistle signaled the end of the set as well as the win of Rin’s team. Rin touched the ground again and stared at his palm, his skin still red because of the strong impact; he exhaled loudly, closed his fist and raised it towards the ceiling letting out a loud “ _Yes!_ ” of joy.

“Whoa, that was so cool!!” Momo shouted, bouncing up and down.

“Rin-chan is still as cool as ever” Nagisa said, cheerfully.

“That was very beautiful, Rin-san” Rei added, fixing his glasses once again.

Sousuke bumped his fist on Rin’s chest, Nitori cheered and even Haruka actually smiled, although he also complained about him being too noisy. But all Rin wanted to hear now was Makoto, so he turned around and reached for him just as Makoto was running to hug him; his arms went around him in a beat and they stood there, in the middle of the court, limbs all tangled up and laughers as their words overlapped.

 

 

 

(“I did it! My very first hit after the recovery!”

“You did it, Rin, you did it!”

And then they were kissing and, although they didn’t really know who had started, neither of them was complaining about it – they broke off only when Nagisa’s howling became too embarrassing to bear and Rin felt the need to bury his red face in Makoto’s neck.)

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i admit i was probably heavy influenced by haikyu on my choice for this prompt.  
> also, in case you're wondering, these are their positions (their age is the same as in the canonverse):
> 
> Makoto - middle blocker / captain (3rd year)  
> Rin – wing spiker / vice-captain (3rd year)  
> Haruka – setter (3rd year)  
> Sousuke – wing spiker (3rd year)  
> Rei – middle blocker (2nd year)  
> Nagisa – libero (2nd year)  
> Ai – setter (2nd year)  
> Momotarou – wing spiker (1st year)  
> Gou – manager (2nd year)  
> Sasabe – coach  
> Amakata - teacher advisor


	6. Au.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You can’t just go and punch someone because you think… Oh my god, Makoto-senpai, you’re bleeding!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “i thought you were hitting on my sister so i punched you in the face, but it turned out you were just helping her ‘cause you’re actually her friend and oh my god you are bleeding, i’m SO sorry” au

Rin leaned on the counter as he sipped carefully his coffee from the paper cup, holding it with one hand while he tapped on his phone with the other. He was supposed to meet his sister near the coffee shop about twenty minutes before and, honestly, he was starting to get worried. The shop was just outside her university campus, so it shouldn’t have taken that long; also, she hadn’t been answering his messages and calls for a while now, as though her cellphone had been dead or something. He told himself he was going to wait only another three minutes, then he’d probably storm off to her campus to check on her and pick her up. Although Sousuke seemed to like joking about it, Rin didn’t think he had a sister complex or anything that complicated; he just cared about Gou and her well-being, wasn’t that normal? He was also the older sibling, so of course he’d worry over her, especially since she had apparently become so cute that both their neighbors’ sons – the infamous Mikoshiba siblings – asked her out once or twice per month, only to be promptly rejected (probably a wise decision; Rin was sort of proud of Gou because of that).

He finished his coffee, crushed the paper cup and tossed it in the bin, managing to hit the target even though it was a couple of meters away. He grinned to himself, before noticing the unimpressed stare the bartender was giving him.

“What?” he said.

“Nothing” the other said, flatly. “Please come again.” He didn’t move a single muscle to smile; he probably wasn’t quite fit for any job involving social interactions, although Rin admitted he was kind of cute and had pretty blue eyes. That must have been why Sousuke kept coming there even though he disliked coffee and the shop wasn’t that close from their campus.

Rin nodded to the grumpy bartender, slipped his phone into his jeans pocket and rummaged through his wallet for money. When he turned around after having paid his coffee, he was met with a sight that he immediately disliked.

It seemed that Gou had finally arrived, but she wasn’t alone. A tall, solid guy was standing in front of her, grasping her shoulder with one hand while his other arm was sneaking behind her waist, and he hovered over her menacingly due to their huge height difference.

Rin growled and left the shop in a rush, already killing off the guy in his mind.

“Hey, jerk!” he said, grabbing the stranger’s shoulder and forcing him to turn around. The guy had merely the time to look at him in surprise before Rin punched him straight in the face, sending him on the ground despite his strong physical. Rin kneeled over him and grabbed the neckline of his shirt, shaking him abruptly. “That’s for messing around with my sister! And here comes another!” he said, and he was just about to give him another sample of his knuckles when Gou suddenly launched herself on him and grabbed his arm with both hers.

“No! Oh my god, _stop_!” she screamed, alarmed. Rin looked over his own shoulders to glance at his sister, resisting her attempts to pull him away.

“What? You need to be firmer with those guys, or they’ll…”

“You’re wrong!” she said. “He wasn’t… He’s just one of my _seniors_! He was helping me!”

Rin stared at her, confused.

“ _Helping_ you?”

She nodded vigorously as she continued to drag him away from the guy sitting on the ground, and this time Rin let her.

“He was giving me advice for my final project, then he offered to accompany me here” Gou explained with a sigh. Rin still wasn’t convinced.

“Why was he grabbing you, then?”

“I was replying to Chigusa’s message and didn’t see the sidewalk, so I tripped and he grabbed me to steady me! He wouldn’t do anything to hurt me, honestly you’re too impulsive” she said, frowning and biting her lips nervously. “You can’t just go and punch someone because you think… _Oh my god_ , Makoto-senpai, you’re _bleeding_!” Gou gasped and Rin looked down at the guy to see that, indeed, his nose had started bleeding profusely and rather alarmingly.

“Uhm, it’s… it’s okay, I think, I’ll be fine in a minute…” The guy said, pressing his hands on his face in an attempt to stop the blood, but he only made it worse as it splattered all over his cheeks and mouth and hands, and even got some on his clothes. The guy’s face started to turn pale while he was still trying to smile and reassure Gou, who gave him one of her handkerchief to clean himself – judging from the amount of blood, though, that tiny piece of cloth wouldn’t be even remotely enough, and Gou would have probably had to said farewell to it anyway. Rin suddenly felt like the worst shit on the planet.

“Alright, maybe it’s better if we…” he started, paused and looked at the coffee shop, then walked to the guy and grabbed him by the shoulders to help him get on his feet. He nodded towards the shop. “Let’s go in there, we have to patch you up” he suggested.

The guy looked surprised for a moment (maybe because Rin had just given his a bleeding nose and now was helping him; Rin couldn’t blame him for his confusion), but then nodded and allowed Rin to help him, smiling at him as he kept pressing the tiny handkerchief on his nose. They entered the shop with Gou following them from behind.

“Oi, can you bring us a towel or something?” Rin said in a loud voice to grab the bartenders’ attention. A short, cheerful blonde looked up in curiosity and his mouth formed an o as he stared at them. Rin followed his gaze an quickly added, “Also, is there somewhere where he can wash himself?”

“Yeeeaaah,” the blonde said, then turned abruptly around and screamed, “Haru-chan, Haru-chan, come here, hurry!” As soon as he finished talking, the grumpy bartender that had served Rin before emerged from the kitchen. He shot a look towards the blonde, then turned to Rin and his blue eyes widened in shock as his gaze fell on the guy beside him.

“Makoto?” he said, with a hint of worry in his voice. He snapped towards Rin and Gou. “What happened?”

“I tripped,” Makoto tried to say, in the exact moment Rin said, “I punched him.”

Rin then looked incredulously at the guy, who managed to give him a smile somehow even though his gaze was starting to fog up with tears. The bartender stared at them for another couple of second, probably contemplating what to believe; he finally decided explanations could wait and left the counter to grab Makoto and guide him in the back of the shop.

“Gou, wait here,” Rin said, then turned to the blonde guy. “Please make her a tea or something, I don’t know, I’ll pay for her later,” he said. The blonde nodded with energy.

“Yessir! Hazuki Nagisa’s at your service!” he chirped.

“I’ll have an oolong tea,” Gou sighed as she slumped on a seat near the counter, and stared worriedly after her brother as he made his way to the back to check on her senior.

Rin felt incredibly ashamed and guilty about what had happened. He really hadn’t thought that through, he just… jumped to conclusions when he saw his sister in that kind of situation. Maybe Sousuke was right: he really had a sister complex.

In the back of the shop, he discovered, there was a small room with a table and some chairs in the center and two or three lockers attached to one wall. It was probably where the bartenders changed themselves, or spent time during pauses. When Rin arrived, he found Makoto sitting on a chair with his head tilt back and a little bag of ice-cubs pressed on his nose, while the bartender was just sitting beside him, talking to him into a soft voice. Apparently, the bartender had Makoto wash his face and hands so most of the blood had gone away, even though it still remained on his clothes and on Gou’s handkerchief (she definitely had to buy a new one).

Rin knocked softly on the door even though it was already open; he leaned against it and felt a sense of uneasiness when the two looked up at him.

“Uhm, is everything okay?” Rin said. The bartender raised an eyebrow at him.

“Yeah, considering you almost broke his nose on a whim,” he said and although his face had remained stoic, Rin could feel he was somehow annoyed at him. Probably he had questioned Makoto further and found out what had really happened. Rin wasn’t surprised; he had known that Makoto for less than half an hour and he was already convinced that the guy was a terrible liar.

“It isn’t _that_ bad,” Makoto said and indeed didn’t sound very convincing. His friend seemed to strongly resist the urge to roll his eyes. He stood up and walked to Rin.

“I’ve to go back to work, and he needs to keep the ice for three minutes at least, until the bleeding stops completely,” he said. “Can I ask you to keep an eye on him, or will you try to kill him directly this time?”

“It was a fucking accident, I’m not a psycho or something,” Rin muttered. The other didn’t say anything as he passed him and got back to the counter. Rin was left alone with the guy he had just punched and to whom, he suddenly realized, he hadn’t even apologized yet.

“Look, I’m _so_ sorry,” he quickly said, stuffing his hands in his jeans pockets and staring at the floor bashfully. “I mean, it was kind of stupid and rushed and I wasn’t even thinking. You probably think I’m psychotic or just a jerk and an awful brother, and I don’t blame you for that, but please believe that I’m really, _really_ sorry about all this.”

There was a moment of silence, then to Rin’s surprise the other just breathe a quiet laugh.

“I forgive you,” he said, smiling widely. “Besides that, I don’t really think you’re a bad person, or a bad brother. Matsuoka talks a lot about you, she really looks up to you so I had already kind of figured you’d be a good person.” He lowered his head a little while he was speaking and the ice bag slipped from his face. Rin was by his side in a moment and hurriedly pushed the ice back on his nose.

“Are you stupid? He said you had to keep it for three minutes at least and it hasn’t passed even one minute!” he said. Makoto blinked, confused, but let him tilt his head back without any complaints, Rin sighed as he let himself fall on a chair.

“So, you were telling me you think I’m a good person although I just punched you in the face and almost broke your nose…”

“It’s not that bad, really…”

“…so why don’t you think I’m a douchebag now?”

Makoto raised his eyes towards the ceiling and stared at the tiles for a while. Rin stayed quiet, waiting for the answer, or for Makoto to think better of it and agree that he was a douchebag.

“You did it to protect your sister,” Makoto said slowly and Rin thought he could see a small, fond smile blooming on his face.

“I mean, I’m not saying that you shouldn’t have thought about it before doing it. You probably were a little too impulsive,” Makoto continued (Rin rolled his eyes: ‘ _probably’_ and ‘ _a little’_ didn’t really cut it), “but I liked that you jumped to help her without any second thought. I could see what Matsuoka always tells me about you, that you are a kind person. Honestly, you were also kind of cool, like a knight in armor.”

Rin was stunned for a moment before blushing furiously and looking away.

“Oh my god, you’re such a sap, I can’t believe you,” he muttered. Makoto laughed softly.

“I know. Haruka thinks so too, he even tells me that at times” he said, an Rin realized he was probably talking about the grumpy bartender.

“Is he your boyfriend? He seemed to be angry at me” he remarked, casually.

“No,” Makoto said, a little too quickly. “He’s my friend, uhm, my best friend. We know each other since we were children.”

“Oh, okay.” Rin shrugged. Well, Sousuke would be happy to know that Haruka-guy was free, probably.

They ended up being quiet until Rin looked at his phone clock and said it was probably fine to remove the ice, so Makoto finally could resume a normal position. He put the ice bag on the table and reached to touch the bridge of his nose, scrunching it and letting out a quiet ‘ouch’.  

“Ah, yeah, you probably shouldn’t touch it for a while…” Rin said, then glanced at Makoto’s pale face and at the dark bruises that had started blooming around his eyes.

“Maybe you also should go to a hospital and get it checked. I can bring you there if you want, my car’s actually parked around here,” he added.

“I’d love to go,” Makoto smiled as he replied. Rin stared at him and was stunned as he suddenly noticed that Makoto was actually a handsome guy. His eyes, now circled in dark bruises as though he’d punched him there, were green and bright, making a nice contrast with his brown hair, and they seemed to become even prettier when he smiled. Rin suddenly felt a new wave of guilt when he thought of how he had managed to ruin such a beautiful guy, who also happened to be one of the nicest person on Earth, apparently, since he didn’t blame him one bit for the whole situation.

“I’m so sorry,” he couldn’t help but saying it again. “Please, let me make it up to you.”

Makoto blinked, caught off guard.

“It’s alright, you don’t have to,” he said.

“Maybe,” Rin said, “but I feel guilty as hell and I’m really sorry, so please tell me anything I could do to repay you, beside bringing you to the hospital ‘cause that’s a given at this point.”

Makoto opened his mouth and for a moment Rin thought he was going to contradict him again, but then he closed his mouth and stayed quiet. Rin stared anxiously as Makoto seemed to think about it carefully. After a minute or two, the brunet leaned to drag his bag towards himself and searched thoroughly into it until he found his own cellphone. He handed it to Rin, who stared at him in confusion.

“Your number,” Makoto said, shyly looking away. Rin continued to stare.

“ _You want my number_ ,” he said, it was meant to be a question but came out flat, like a statement. Makoto nodded and Rin noticed his ears had gone red.

“I can’t believe you,” he breathed, but he still took Makoto’s phone from his hands. “I can’t fucking believe you,” he said again as he tapped his number in. “I just literally attacked you and you asked for my number. What, are you a masochist?”

“I’m not!” Makoto complained and flushed harder. It was kind of cute, honestly, and Rin couldn’t help the grin that was blooming on his face.

“Okay, so perhaps we can go somewhere else after the hospital. I can buy you ice-cream if you want,” he suggested, feeling bold.

“You know, I already told you I’m fine. You shouldn’t keep trying to repay me or something.”

“Yes, I know. In fact, I wouldn’t buy you ice-cream as an apology, but because I’m a good person and I buy ice-cream for my dates.” Rin grinned even more as he watched the effect of his words on Makoto, who just kept on blushing harder and harder.

“I want my phone back,” he mumbled.

“Sure, my number’s in.” Rin handed it to him, then stood up. “Do you think we can go out there now? I don’t wanna leave my sister alone for too long.”

Makoto nodded as he slipped his phone back into his bag and stood up too. They made their way to the counter together and Haruka regarded Rin with his usual flat look before turning to Makoto.

“I’m okay now,” the brunet said before Haruka could even ask. The bartender looked at him for a moment, then nodded slowly. Rin glanced over his shoulders to find his sister happily talking with the blonde guy at the counter.

“Hey, Gou, we’re gonna swing by the hospital, wanna come? I’ll drop you home after it” he said as he walked to her. Gou glanced towards Makoto, then nodded and finished sipping her oolong tea. “Then I’ll see you around, Hazuki-kun!” she said. The blonde guy pouted a little.

“I told you to call me Nagisa, calling me by surname sounds so weird” he said, then smiled again as he waved at the girl. “Bye bye, Gou-chan, see you soon!”

“It's _Kou_ , Hazuki-kun!”

“And it's _Nagisa_ , Gou-chan!”

Rin rolled his eyes and grabbed Gou’s arm, dragging her away before she could answer the guy. Makoto shot a smile towards Haruka, then followed the Matsuoka siblings out of the shop.

 

 

 

“I’m glad everything’s alright,” Gou sighed as she slumped in the backseat.

At the hospital they had been told that Makoto’s nose wasn’t actually broken, but since the impact had been quite strong the swelling and the bruises probably wouldn’t go away for another two or three days at least, so Makoto would have to treat it with ice and rest at home in the meanwhile.

“Yeah,” Rin said. Although he felt a little more relieved now, his sense of guilt hadn’t totally disappeared, probably because Makoto’s expression turned a bit sour when he thought nobody was watching him. It had been like that since Rin had asked him where he lived so that he could drop him home. Only after that Rin realized that Makoto was probably disappointed that they couldn’t go anywhere since he had to rest at home; honestly, Rin found himself to be a bit disappointed, too.

“Hey, Makoto, is it here?” he asked, glancing to his side to look at him. Makoto nodded slightly and told him to turn left. Rin obeyed and then pulled the car in front of a small complex of apartments.

Makoto unfastened his seatbelt and got out of the car, then leaned down to look through the window and smile at them.

“I’m sorry for the trouble,” he said. “Thank you for the lift.”

“I’m sorry for your nose,” Rin replied. Makoto smiled a little more, even though there wasn't much to laugh at. Gou waved at him, telling him they would see each other soon at the campus since she still needed some help on her project; Makoto nodded at her, then straightened his back and started walking towards the small gate of the building, rummaging around in his bag to find the keys. Rin stared at his back for a long minute and gave up on holding back right when Makoto found the keys and pushed the gate open.

“Text me!” he shouted at him. “I’ll wait!”

Makoto turned around, surprised and embarrassed, but still managed to give Rin the brightest smile he’s ever seen before laughing and going into the building. Rin kept on staring even if he’d gone, until Gou brought him back to reality.

“Oooh, so I’m not the only one who got a date,” she said and giggled.

“That’s not… wait, what?”

Gou shrugged. “That Hazuki-kun is not bad, although he can’t get my name right,” she said casually, but Rin could see a faint blush on her cheeks that he decided to ignore (well, at least it wasn’t any of the Mikoshiba guys, but he still had the feeling Hazuki Nagisa would be a pain in the ass, too).

Rin scoffed as he started up the car again, driving off to their house. On the way, his mind kept constantly wandering to Makoto; when he arrived at home, grabbed his phone and found a new message from an unknown number, he couldn’t help but smile and dialed the said number (ignoring Gou’s giggles in the process).

“Hey, Makoto. So, when are we getting ice-cream together?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i couldn't help but drop tiny hints of souharu and nagigou (i'm sorry i love my ships too much, haha).  
> in the end, rin bought makoto ice-cream for the next two dates, because he's a good guy, plus makoto's cute when he's flustered ;)


	7. New Years.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Goodnight, then, and happy New Years.” He chuckled and Rin felt a smile growing on his own face in response as he muttered a happy ‘yeah’.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is short and absolutely sappy, i'm sorry i just wanted the fluff
> 
> set post-Eternal Summer (they’re older, about in their twenties)

“I can’t believe it,” Rin said, as he kicked the dust on the balcony.

“I can’t fucking believe it,” he repeated, sighing as let himself slip on the ground, sitting with his back against the door glass. Makoto, who was standing in front of him, leaning on the railing, gave him a sympathetic smile as he crossed his arms on his chest.

“I’m sure someone will notice,” he said, because he had endless faith in humanity, but Rin could tell he was nervous, too. Probably because out there the temperature was fucking _low_ and they barely had their sweaters and the door was locked and most of their friends who were still inside were high as fuck. Yeah, it must have been because of all those reasons.

They only had to hope that Haruka (who was sent out to find Sousuke who was sent out to buy more food and obviously got lost) would come home soon and notice that they were missing.

Rin swore to himself that the first thing he would do once he returned inside was to kill Nagisa Hazuki. Not only that punk had started going out with his sister (Rin totally hadn’t seen that coming), but he managed to sneak alcohol at their New Years party and got everyone wasted. Now, they were already more than of age to drink (the youngest of the group was Momotarou, who had just celebrated his 21st birthday at the beginning of December) and it certainly wasn’t the first time they had been drunk, but Nagisa probably had invented some new mix of alcoholics that had managed to kill off Nitori and Momo at the first two or three shots. The two guys were quickly followed by Rei, who had started to blabber about chemistry formulae and physics before falling asleep on Haruka’s couch. Although he probably didn’t even weigh 60 kilos, Nagisa seemed to be completely fine on the outside (maybe because when he was drunk he acted mostly the same as he did when sober), but the way he swayed and tripped on words betrayed his real condition. Rin thanked God that his sister had decided not to stay with them, but to spend the New Years at Chigusa’s, because otherwise he would have spent the whole night worrying about her well-being. In the end, Haruka was practically the only one who hadn’t drunk at all, while Sousuke had a shots or two but he could actually hold his alcohol thanks to his huge physical. Rin himself had drunk quite a lot, but he felt slight more sober now that he was out in the cold.

Talking about that, he wondered how drunk Makoto was. Rin could have sworn he saw Nagisa pushing a couple of drinks on Makoto, too, but he wasn’t sure exactly of how much Makoto actually had drunk.

From where he was sitting, Rin started studying the other quietly, furtively: Makoto’s face was a little red, indeed, but it was hard to say if it was because of the drinks, or simply because it was cold. His eyes didn’t seem glazed or unfocused as he looked down at the dark road, perhaps trying to spot Haruka or Sousuke, or hopefully both of them coming back together.

“Rin,” Makoto suddenly said, making Rin flinch. Makoto turned around to face him and caught his eyes, smiling softly as he saw that Rin had been staring at him.

“Can I sit with you? It’s a little cold,” he said. Rin noticed he was trembling slightly, clutching at his own sweater.

“Sure,” he said, immediately moving to make space for Makoto, who shook his head, still smiling softly.

Rin raised an eyebrow at him, but soon understood what the other meant when he sat by his side and opened his legs, gesturing for Rin to sit between them. Rin took at once the offer to settle in a much warmer place, happily leaning against Makoto’s body, his back attached to the other’s chest. He took Makoto’s hands in both his own and folded them in his own lap, tenderly drawing circles with his thumbs on Makoto’s knuckles. Makoto leaned his head on his shoulder and sighed contently as the warmth started spreading from one’s body to another, making them melt into each other.

“If we aren’t found, we can always climb down and go to the shrine without them,” Rin joked, turning a bit to grin at Makoto. Makoto’s eyes twinkled with amusement.

“Will we run away together, then?” he said. Rin pretended to think about it.

“Haru might take quite a while to bring Sou back,” Rin said. “We have a lot of time to plan our elopement.”

“You shouldn’t seriously think about it!” Makoto laughed.

“Why not,” Rin’s voice suddenly lowered to a whisper.

For a moment, he seriously thought about climbing down Haru’s balcony, taking Makoto with him, and go far far away with him. They could build a home together, somewhere, and stay close most of the year instead of skyping every night or meeting every now and then for the festivities; maintaining a long distance friendship had been hard enough (Rin had failed horribly once, and it still burned), but a long distance relationship was even harder.

Rin suddenly realized he was starting to sound like an American _romcom_ , or worse like a _shoujo_ _manga_ – okay, so maybe the alcohol was finally kicking in, after all.

He flinched when he felt Makoto’s chapped lips started leaving butterfly kisses over his skin, his warm breath tickling his nape. He grasped his hands firmly yet gently, as to never let them go.

“Rin, let’s go to the shrine together this year,” he said quietly.

“Along with everyone?”

“Yes,” Makoto said, “but I also want to go with only you and me. Is that okay?”

Rin paused for a moment, then nodded slowly. He loved how caring and kind Makoto was towards all of his friends, but it was nice to see him act a bit selfish every now and then and he wasn’t going to give up any chance to have Makoto all to himself (it passed through his head, later, that he Makoto probably wanted to have him all to himself, too).

“More than okay,” he said. “Let’s also go by ourselves this year. And the next too.”

“Every year, if you want to,” Makoto laughed softly into Rin’s hair.

“Every year, then,” Rin repeated, yawning towards the end of the sentence. Makoto’s body against his own felt so warm and safe that he was starting to feel sleepy. Probably it was the alcohol, too. He leaned more into Makoto, using his shoulder as a pillow, and pulled his knees to his chest, curling up more. Makoto’s hug became slightly tighter, but Rin didn’t comment as his eyes started to close on their own.

“Wake me up if someone comes by, or when it’s dawn,” he said, and judging from the lighter shades that the sky had taken it wouldn’t be that long until the sun finally came up. Makoto nodded while resting his head upon Rin’s.

“Okay,” he whispered. “Goodnight, then, and happy New Years.” He chuckled and Rin felt a smile growing on his own face in response as he muttered a happy ‘ _yeah’_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaand so this makorin week comes to an end. it was my first time taking part in something like this kind of event (i've always only watched before) and i enjoyed it. the prompts were really inspiring for me and pushed me to write, so i had fun! i don't write often in this fandom, so i'm happy i had the chance to this time around.  
> thank you to everyone who read my contribution, hope you enjoyed it <3


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